Frequency of asymptomatic stenotic carotid artery disease in patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the frequency of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS) in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower extremity. Patients and methods: Between January 2017 and May 2018, a total of 100 patients (74 males, 26 females; mean age 60.6±9.7 years; range, 37 to 78 years) with lower extremity PAD without previous cerebrovascular event were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received carotid Duplex ultrasonography as a non-invasive screening test to detect the coexistence of CAS. Significant CAS was defined as a stenosis of ≥70% of an internal carotid artery. Data including demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded and compared between the patients with and without significant CAS. Results: A significant CAS was present in 16 patients with PAD. Of them, 14 patients had an internal CAS of 70 to 99% and the remaining two patients had a totally occluded internal carotid artery. Bilateral significant CAS was observed in four patients. Only hyperlipidemia was found to be significantly more frequent in patients with significant CAS, compared to those without significant CAS. Conclusion: The frequency of significant asymptomatic CAS is high in patients with PAD. We recommend routine screening for patients with lower extremity PAD for the existence of asymptomatic CAS. [Turk J Vasc Surg 2019; 28(2.000): 73-7]